Plessinger: "I saw that I was around both Coop and Chase, and panicked a bit"
With the Monster Energy AMA 450 Supercross Championship hanging in the balance between Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb, how would the riders around them play it? Webb needed to finish fifth or better to lock up the title if Sexton won the race. Aaron Plessinger sure seemed to not want to be a factor in any of that, as the Red Bull KTM man—teammate of Sexton, friends (and a former teammate) of Webb—went from holeshot back to sixth place in the 450 main, finishing 47 seconds off of the lead.
In this week's post-race press release from KTM, Plessinger didn't deny the situation!
Said Plessinger:
"Salt Lake City was a pretty good race. I struggled to find a setting that worked for me in qualifying, but by the time we got to the Heat Race, it was working awesome! I got a holeshot there and won the thing, which was good. Holeshotted again in the Main, but I saw that I was around both Coop and Chase, and panicked a bit – I doubled the whole way down a rhythm lane and lost a lot of positions, then struggled to recover from there. That was my night in Salt Lake, but it's time to regroup and head outdoors. We'll be going for it!"
It's also worth noting that Justin Cooper and Malcolm Stewart were battling for third in the championship. Plessinger didn't have that kind of motivation. Also Joey Savatgy rode very well on his Quad Lock Honda to finish fifth.
As for Plessinger, he was proud to have completed the full 17-race season for the first time since 2020.
| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chase Sexton | 46.710 | La Moille, IL  | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 2 |  Malcolm Stewart | 47.333 | Haines City, FL | Husqvarna FC 450 Rockstar Edition | ||
| 3 |  Justin Cooper | 47.224 | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | Yamaha YZ450F | ||
| 4 |  Cooper Webb | 47.053 | Newport, NC | Yamaha YZ450F | ||
| 5 |  Joey Savatgy | 47.846 | Thomasville, GA | Honda CRF450R | ||
| 6 |  Aaron Plessinger | 47.913 | Hamilton, OH | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 7 |  Dean Wilson | 47.971 | Scotland, United Kingdom  | Honda CRF450R Works Edition | ||
| 8 |  Justin Hill | 47.824 | Yoncalla, OR | KTM 450 SX-F | ||
| 9 |  Shane McElrath | 47.280 | Canton, NC | Honda CRF450R | ||
| 10 |  Dylan Ferrandis | 48.277 | Avignon, France  | Honda CRF450R Works Edition |
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cooper Webb | Newport, NC | 365 |
| 2 | Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL | 363 |
| 3 | Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 281 |
| 4 | Malcolm Stewart | Haines City, FL | 277 |
| 5 |  Ken Roczen | Mattstedt, Germany  | 271 |
| 6 | Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 255 |
| 7 | Dylan Ferrandis | Avignon, France | 194 |
| 8 | Justin Hill | Yoncalla, OR | 194 |
| 9 | Shane McElrath | Canton, NC | 192 |
| 10 |  Justin Barcia | Monroe, NY | 185 |
